Archive for August, 2009

I recently saw an ad while watching Hulu that was extremely effective but also a little anxiety inducing.
What a great way to represent not only the importance of acting now but for whom we act. Why is this unnerving? Easy, just the sound of the ticking clock. It makes me think of the crocodile from Peter Pan, and Captain Hook.
Now he had a real reason to be afraid of the sound of a ticking clock, but me I just don’t like to be rushed!
I’ve learned that to be effective in any effort you have to take your time. Rushing through a project because of a time crunch or because you just want it to be over will only result in one thing, a half done project.
You see this all the time in business. Stores rush to put together a sale, when customers come in, there isn’t enough signage and half the staff doesn’t know what’s going on. You rush a proposal, and you can lose the job to someone who’s more prepared. You rush the growth of your business, and you end up providing poor service because you can’t accomodate the increase.
The fan in my home office where I often work, has a habit of making a ticking noise. One of the chains taps against the light fixture. I often put on music, or a movie I’ve seen, to drown out the noise. This allows me to stop thinking about how much time is passing and focus on my project and doing it right.
How can you stop the ticking clock in your life? Do you need to step out of your surroundings more? Maybe take 15 minutes everyday where you just enjoy the business you’ve built, the employees, and the customers. Step out of the office or your store and take a stroll, get a new perspective. Go visit your competition and get ideas!
Don’t be Captain Hook, afraid of the ticking crocodile.

There’s a lot of buzz out about the new version of Alice in Wonderland. My favorite character was always the Cheshire Cat. I loved how he slowly dissappeared and reappeared, and his singing and laughing.

Lately I’ve been a bit of a Cheshire Cat with my business, appearing when I feel like it, and fading away when it’s super hectic. I need to be more of an Alice, curious about everything, and ready to take little leaps of faith. Growing and shrinking my business as the opportunities arise. What about you? Which character do you feel you’ve been lately?